


The nightmares will come and go but I will never leave you

by Multifandom_damnation



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Dark!Percy, F/M, but its post-tartarus so its kinda angsty, i dont know if they the warning or ratings are right, i think its angst but it might also be fluff, im sorry, nico and will are only mentioned, piper is also only mentioned, so sorry about that too, this is my first fic on here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-18
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-11-02 03:36:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10936182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Multifandom_damnation/pseuds/Multifandom_damnation
Summary: Tartarus.A place filled with death and destruction. Hopelessness and despair. Only the foolish go in and the broken make it out. This is a story of how the broken try and find their pieces, little by little and try and put themselves back to what they were before.Together.





	The nightmares will come and go but I will never leave you

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy :) this is my first fic I've put on here, so I don't know how good it is, so ta-da!! (I wrote it for friend on Tumblr)

The glinting of the sun against the clear blue of the ocean reflected making tiny rainbows in the sea spray. The white foam came rolling in on waves and washing up and over the shore, removing the sand from beneath his bare feet and making his toes tingle with the disappearance of bubbles. The wind whipped gently against his face, cooling him down and making his hair blow with the movement, tickling his face.

He sighed and stared out on the horizon. The sun was starting to rise higher in the sky then when he had first woken up and walked outside before. It was just past sunrise and the rest of the camp was still asleep, the quietness something very different than what he was used to. He closed his eyes against the harsh rays of light and let the sun warm him, letting colours bounce behind his eyelids. As he was starting to relax, to feel safe in his little world or quiet and solitude, the nightmares came back.

Against his eyes replacing the bouncing colours and light and warmth, was darkness. The kind of darkness that you couldn’t see or hear anything in but you just knew that there were things lurking, waiting for the right moment to lash out and kill. Pain and blood and running, always running away from who knows what but they were coming, catching up faster than he could run away. He could still feel the heat blasting him from all sides, but it was not the heat of the sun but the unnatural overwhelming heat that blistered his arms and legs and made it feel like he was breathing in shards of broken glass. He could taste copper in his mouth, could feel the heat blistering his skin again. Could hear the roars of unseen beasts loud in his ears and of screaming. He didn’t know who’s screaming it was, but it seemed to come from all around him. He could feel every scratch, every claw mark, every bite on his body and knew, just knew that he was back there and he thought _I am going to die._

Then he could feel arms wrapping around his waist and hands resting on his stomach, a head on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and saw that the darkness was gone and replaced with the bright beautiful sunlight coming out from behind a cloud. The copper he could taste was just him biting a hole in his lip, letting small droplets of blood onto his tongue. The blistering heat he could feel was just the sun, higher up in the sky and shining on his face. The roars of monsters were just the roar of the ocean as the waves rolled out towards the sea and back again. The screaming was coming from some kids who were playing with wooden swords in the training area. The pain in his lungs was just him holding his breath and wounds he could feel were just memories. He looked over to his left shoulder where a head of curly blonde hair was resting. He turned his head and kissed it.

Annabeth turned to face him, concern in her eyes. He always loved them, how they could be colourless yet hold all the colours of a galaxy. He could get lost in those eyes. They made him feel safe, just as the arms around him made him feel at peace. He blew air out of his nose has he looked back at her, ash meeting ocean. Grey meeting green. She looked like she had just woken up. Her hair was in messy and unkempt ringlets around her face, sleep still in the corners of her eyes. Her lips were red from where she bit them nervously in her sleep and he so wanted to kiss them. So he did. He leant his head down slightly so he could reach, and their lips met and they relaxed into a small good morning kiss, that said nothing yet everything at all. When they pulled apart Annabeth snuggled closer to Percy, arms wrapped slightly tighter. “Nightmares?” She whispered as they both stared out to sea, where a wave was building.

Percy didn’t say anything for a while. He was too happy being there, in this small moment of peace. “Yeah.” He said simply, sighing as he did so.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She knew he didn’t, didn’t want to relive the memories that plagued them both say and night. She knew that talking wouldn’t make him feel any less afraid. But she wanted him to know that he would have her, even if he felt alone.

“The same as always.” He said as he stared at the same spot in the waves, unblinking and making his eyes feel dry. He could feel them start to prickle and knew he should probably blink but he couldn’t bring himself to do it because even a moment would bring back memories.

“I know you want to forget, Percy. But if there’s anyone you should be talking about it with, it’s me. I was there. Nothing you can talk about can scare me anymore.”

“What about that thing with Akhlys?” He said quietly. He could feel her give a slight shiver at the memory. He knew that scared her. He wanted to prove his point. “Not even that.” She whispered back.

“Then why don’t I go and talk to Nico about it? He went to Tartarus too. He did most of the same things we did.”

Annabeth sighed against him and lifted her chin off his shoulder gently. “You know that’s different. He saw it different than us. He was alone. I’m sure he doesn’t want to relive those memories either. Plus, I’m sure Will would most _definitely_ kill you if you make his nightmares any worse.” She gave him a peck on the cheek as she went to pull away, thinking that was all she was going to get out of this conversation, but as her hands started to unwrap from his waist he grabbed her wrists. She made a surprised noise, and Percy thought her saw her turn her head to the side in the reflection of the water, but she stayed where she was.

Percy took a shuddering breath. “It was dark. And… there was blood.” Annabeth stayed still. “There was just so much blood. _I_ was controlling it Annabeth. Like water. It flowed like water, at least. And I could see Akhlys, and I don’t know why I saw her because we were nowhere near where she was in Tartarus, but she was there and she was choking. _I_ was choking her. I knew it, I could feel her blood boiling, her own poisons were _in_ her _skin_. I put them _under_ her _skin_ and she was choking on her own snot and tears. And I _enjoyed_ it.” His voice broke as a sob wracked his body and when he spoke again, it was in a whisper. “I didn’t know I could control blood Annabeth. I looked down, and you were on my lap and you were bleeding out and you were begging me to stop but I- I didn’t and I put my hand on your chest and your mouth filled with blood and…” Annabeth pulled him tighter as more sobs made him stop.

“I knew Akhlys was the reason you were bleeding,” he whispered, so quietly Annabeth had to strain to hear him. “And I was angry. And you were in pain. I think I killed her because she took you away from me. And I drowned you in your own blood, I think because I wanted you to not be in pain anymore. I don’t know what she did but… I was scared, Annabeth.”

Annabeth let him go and grabbed his shoulder, spinning him around to face her. She didn’t say anything, just wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him close, her head resting beneath his chin. His hands wrapped around her tighter as she could feel her slightly smaller frame shake from his sobs. They stayed like that for a while, until Annabeth moved one of Percy’s hands from around her waist and put his hand on her chest and he stopped. “Well,” she said eventually “I’m still here. My heart is still beating, right? I’m still here.” She looked up to face him again as his hand started shaking where she held it. He was already looking at her. “The nightmares,” she whispered as she stood up straight and gave him a peck on the lips. “Will go. But I will never leave you.”

Suddenly, he stopped shaking, almost stopped breathing. She watched him, and the wobbling lip that was once there was replaced a slightly shaking smirk. He kissed her long and hard this time, and when they came up for air the bell for breakfast was sounded. She wrapped her arms around his neck loosely and smiled up at him. “I’ve got to go and lead the Athena cabin to breakfast.” She said, almost regretfully. “I’ll see you there.”

“I’m sure Malcolm would be happy to do it- “

“I’m not making him do that, Percy. It’s my responsibility.”

“And I know how you feel about responsibility.” He gave her a kiss on the forehead and pulled away. “I know. Off you go”

“Clean your cabin before we do cabin check!” She called over her shoulder as she made her way over the crest the beach. “It's me and Piper today! We I show no mercy!”

“Not even to Percy Jackson, son of the sea god, saviour of Olympus?”

“Especially not to you!”

And she was gone. Percy turned back to the waves, and with a deep breath, closed his eyes. And saw… nothing. Nothing but the warm darkness of the sun and the every-now-and-then rays of a rainbow. The sea breeze made him feel more awake and the laughter from kids in the dining pavilion made him find his footing. The nightmares didn't bother him again that day.


End file.
